Browns coach Mike Pettine did the equivalent of a homeowner shuffling the biggest of monthly bills to the bottom of the pile when he met with his coaching staff on Aug. 19.

Pettine was not prepared to name a starting quarterback when he got on a conference call with reporters at 4 p.m. He decided to gather with his offensive coaches later and said he might or might not come out of that meeting with Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel as his starter.

“We have 80-some other players we have to do evaluations on,” Pettine said. “We just broke a staff meeting where we discussed every player. The meeting about quarterbacks will occur later. We’ll decide then if we’re ready to name a starter.

“We want to get the decision right. I don’t want to rush it and make it for the sake of making it.

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Then you’re risking the chemistry and the cohesion if you have the wrong guy there. We’re still confident we can get a lot of reps with the ones. There is a decent amount of time left still until Pittsburgh (on Sept. 7). These were under ideal circumstances that we could name one this week. Again, I’m not ruling that out. If we have to wait until after the next game, so be it.”

Pettine might not make the announcement until Aug. 20 when the Browns return to practice, even if he does make his choice before then after meeting with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.

Neither quarterback came out of the game against the Redskins on Aug. 18 wearing a gold medal for passing, but Pettine made it clear not everything that went wrong could be pinned on the quarterbacks, starting with the first play of the game when Alex Mack snapped the ball early.

That led to Hoyer being sacked because no one else on offense moved.

“I think what was disappointing was that the guys around both quarterbacks didn’t play particularly well or were inconsistent,” Pettine said. “There were a lot of guys that had some plays they’d want to take back. I just think it was overall inconsistency on the offense. It’s hard for a quarterback to look good when the guys around them aren’t playing well.

“I know Jordan Cameron was a little bit deep on the one route that it looked like it was a misthrow, and that was something that popped out from the film when we watched it today, so it’s tough to evaluate when the overall level of play around them isn’t what it should be."

The competition apparently is so close Hoyer could win the competition by a finger — though not his own. Pettine is still upset with Manziel for raising the middle finger of his right hand toward the Washington bench as a response to heckling the rookie received from the Redskins.

“We’ll take into account all things quarterback A-Z,” Pettine said on the conference call, saying what Manziel did was “unacceptable. You have to maintain your poise and composure, especially at that position.”

Manziel has completed 14 of 27 preseason passes for 128 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Hoyer is 8-for-20 for 108 yards with no touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Pettine was asked directly whether the coaches are divided about which quarterback should start.

“I haven’t polled the entire coaching staff, so I don’t know where they would be with it,” Pettine said. “When we talk tonight, we all kind of have our feel. I don’t sense a lot of division. I think there’s a lot of common ground with all of us. I wouldn’t say there’s any divide among the staff.”

If Pettine does select a starter, the chosen player will not have to split reps with his competitor during practice this week. The Browns host the Rams on Aug. 23 in the third preseason game. If the coaches cannot confidently name a starter, Manziel and Hoyer might split practice time with the starters Aug. 20 and Aug. 21 and split time against the Rams.

“You can let it play out to see if somebody clear-cut emerges or you can go ahead and name one and get him the maximum number of reps you can,” Pettine said. “That’s something we have to balance and that’s something we’re going to discuss, but I agree that if it just goes too late and it goes beyond next week and you wait until after the fourth game, then with really only one week worth of practice, you’re definitely at risk of somebody not being ready.

“It’s just going to come down to we’re going to weigh everybody’s opinion. I’m very clearly on record as I would like to make a decision (Aug. 19). That’s still very much a possibility.”

The Browns are 0-2 in the preseason. They have scored two offensive touchdowns in 12 quarters, including an intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 2.

“I think that’s very typical in the NFL for the media and the fan base where it’s ‘the sky is falling’ after a loss, and when things are great, it’s all rainbows after a win,” Pettine said. “It’s always somewhere in between. We’re certainly not anywhere near hitting a panic button here.”

Wide receiver Travis Benjamin left the game with a rib injury. Pettine believes Benjamin will be OK.

About the Author

Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@morningjournal.com
or follow Jeff on Twitter: @JSBrownsInsider.